Marine and Iraq War veteran crashes car into Michigan church, sets it on fire

A deadly shooting at a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc Township, Michigan, left four people dead and eight others injured on Sunday morning.

The suspect was identified as 40-year-old Thomas Jacob Sanford from Burton, Michigan. He drove his pickup truck through the front doors of the church before opening fire on hundreds of worshipers and setting the building on fire on purpose. Sanford was killed in a shootout with police officers in the church parking lot.

Grand Blanc Township Police Chief William Renye said police got an emergency call at 10:25 a.m. and officers arrived within seconds. Sanford was killed by 10:33 a.m. after exchanging gunfire with a Michigan Department of Natural Resources officer and a Grand Blanc Township police officer. The fire, which police believe was started using fuel like gasoline, was put out by firefighters between noon and 1 p.m. Two victims died from gunshot wounds, while two more bodies were found later in the burned building.

President Donald Trump talked about the incident on his Truth Social platform and called the shooting a “targeted attack on Christians.” He wrote, “I have been briefed on the horrendous shooting that took place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The FBI was immediately on scene, and will be leading the Federal Investigation, and providing full support to State and Local Officials. The suspect is dead, but there is still a lot to learn.” The FBI’s Detroit field office is looking into the case as an act of targeted violence. Special agent in charge Reuben Coleman said investigators are still working to find out why this happened.

Marine Corps service and military background

The Marine Corps confirmed that Sanford served as a sergeant from 2004 to 2008. He worked as a mechanic who fixed and recovered military vehicles. He got to the rank of sergeant during his four years of service. Sanford was sent to Fallujah, Iraq, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2007 to March 2008. His last job was with the 2nd Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 25, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.

While serving in the military, Sanford got several awards including the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. A 2007 article in the Clarkston News talked to Sanford before his Iraq deployment. He said he was looking forward to seeing the culture and people of Iraq and would return with the real news of the situation. His father said at the time that he was a homegrown kid who misses his family when he’s gone.

Out of the eight injured victims, seven were reported in stable condition while one stayed in critical condition as of Sunday evening. Police said the search for more victims was still going on as they worked through the debris of the partly collapsed building. The Michigan State Police also responded to additional bomb threats at different locations in the community after the attack, but these threats were cleared.

The FBI has asked the public to share any tips that could help with the investigation. Grand Blanc is a community of about 7,700 people located about 50 miles north of Detroit. This incident follows a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis in late August. The ongoing concerns about violence and mass shootings continue to affect communities across the United States.